2018 BMW X6 M SUV

7.3

Overview

Gone are the days when your options were limited to a sedan or hatchback if you wanted performance. We live in the age where 5000 lbs SUVs with a supercar like power and style are here to rule the streets. Seeing the trend of performance SUVs, BMW decided to make one of their own and it's called the X6 M.

BMW gave a regular X6 to the guys at the M sport division and asked them to spice it up. The end result, a 567 hp colossus with truly bewildering speed and acceleration. Hit the pedal, and all heft of the vehicle whizzes away at a physics-defying pace.

At a starting price of $104,100, it already costs a fortune and adds to that, very little utility or off-roading ability. But, looking at what all the vehicle is offering, you wouldn't be able to turn your head before taking a second look at it. With its opulent interiors, fiery performance and coupe-like looks, this Bimmer is bringing the game to all performance sedans.

4dr SUV AWD (4.4L 8cyl Turbo 8A)

Expert Review

carhp editorOctober 25, 2018

7.3

Overall Rating

8.0/10Features

8.0/10Engine

6.6/10Fuel Economy

6.3/10Interior

8.0/10Exterior

BMW gave a regular X6 to the guys at the M sport division and asked them to spice it up. The end result, a 567 hp colossus with truly bewildering speed and acceleration. Hit the pedal, and all heft of the vehicle whizzes away at a physics-defying pace.

At a starting price of $104,100, it already costs a fortune and adds to that, very little utility or off-roading ability. But, looking at what all the vehicle is offering, you wouldn’t be able to turn your head before taking a second look at it. With its opulent interiors, fiery performance and coupe-like looks, this Bimmer is bringing the game to all performance sedans.

Features

8.0/10

Being a performance spinoff of the regular model, the X6 M forms a sub-brand of itself. There is only one configuration on offer. The X6 M has a staggering 267 hp advantage over the docile X6. The adaptive air dampers and rear air suspension keep the car miraculously stable at high speeds. The interiors of the X6 M features contoured sports seats draped in Merino leather which add to the overall appeal of the vehicle.

Trim

X6 M

MSRP

$105,100

Key Features

Adaptive suspension dampers

Rear air suspension

Ambient cabin lighting

Adaptive cruise control

Heated front seats

Keyless entry

Four-zone climate control

Power liftgate

Panoramic sunroof

BMW’s Connected Drive

We recommend

The lack of choice trims makes it easy for buyers to decide which variant to buy. Our recommendation is to simply go for it.

Engine

8.0/10

Engine and Transmission

The 2018 BMW X6 M is powered by twin-turbo 4.4L V8 paired with an 8 speed M Sports auto shifter with dynamic mode settings. The engine lays down 567 hp and 553 lb-ft torque to all the four wheels. The gearbox reacts very well to pedal inputs and shifts smoothly between gears without any jerky movements.

The clever torque vectoring system deployed also does a marvelous job at providing maximum grip at all times. The X6 M is actually cheaper by at least $7,000 than all its competitors while still pulling more or less the same performance stats.

Hardcore acceleration is something one would never associate with an SUV. But, owing to its twin-turbo V8 engine, the X6 M pulls away hard, hard enough to startle even the big boys of the sports car world. 0-60 mph sprint comes up in 4.0 second and a quarter of mile takes 12.4 seconds.

Models

BMW X6 M

Porsche Cayenne Turbo S

Mercedes-Benz AMG GLE S 63

Land Rover Range Rover Sport

0-60 MPH

4.0 sec

3.8 sec

4.1 sec

4.3 sec

Quarter mile

12.4 sec

12.4 sec

12.5 sec

12.6 sec

Engine

4.4L

4.8L

5.5L

5.0L

Emission (Tons/yr of CO2 Emissions @ 15K mi/year)

11.0

10.4

11.8

11.0

The Cayenne Turbo S is at the top of the heap, closely followed the GLE S 63, X6 M and then the Range Rover Sport. The timing difference in both, 0-60 mph and quarter-mile run is negligible amongst these vehicles with most of them doing it in circa 4 seconds.

Ride and Handling

Due to the raised height, the occupants are generally unaware of all the action that is going outside. The car explodes away and before you even realize, you’re moving at a substantial speed. The suspension tuning is also somewhat hard, regular SUV drivers are bound to complain.

The AWD system, together with the smart torque vectoring, provides a joyful driving experience. The entire ride dynamics bears an uncanny resemblance to a low slung coupe. The car hugs the tarmac even during spirited driving periods. This vehicle seemingly laughs in the face of laws of physics.

Braking

The 5-ton X6 M does a 0-60 mph halt in under 104 ft. It even beats the much lighter M6 Gran Coupe by some distance. This miracle of a stop is able to take place due to the beefy brake setup and intelligent electronic trickery

Model

BMW X6 M

Porsche Cayenne Turbo S

Mercedes-Benz AMG GLE S 63

Land Rover Range Rover Sport

Brake Front (in.)

15.6

16.5

15.4

15.0

Brake Rear (in.)

15.2

15.6

13.6

14.4

Curb Weight (lbs.)

5185

4927

5225

5093

60-0 MPH (ft.)

104

106

114

120

The X6 M leads the pack with 0-60 mph stopping distance while being closely followed by the Cayenne at 106 ft. Both the GLE and the Range Rover Sport are some way off as long as the stopping distances are concerned.

Fuel Economy

6.6/10

A V8 powered monster of a vehicle is bound to be a gas guzzler and the X6 M is no exception. The BMW returns a gas mileage of 14/19/16 (city/highway/combined) mpg which is paltry, to say the least.

Model

BMW X6 M

Porsche Cayenne Turbo S

Mercedes-Benz AMG GLE S 63

Land Rover Range Rover Sport

MPG (city)

14

14

14

14

MPG (highway)

19

21

18

19

MPG (combined)

16

17

16

16

A quick look at the rivals reveals that the Beemer is not the only dud in this segment. Most of its competitors return the same gas mileage with the Cayenne Turbo S being the only slightly better of the lot.

Interior

6.3/10

Seating and Comfort

Although the front seats in the X6 M are good to sit in the rear seats is where the story gets awry. The rear passengers perhaps make the biggest sacrifice due to the dipping roofline. This car is best suited to carry a total of 4 passengers. The front space is almost equivalent to almost all the big sports SUVs.

Model

BMW X6 M

Porsche Cayenne Turbo S

Mercedes-Benz AMG GLE S 63

Land Rover Range Rover Sport

Passenger capacity

5

5

5

5

Front (Head/Shoulder/Leg) (In.)

39.3/60.5/40.3

39.6/58.9/40.6

38.9/58.5/40.3

39.5/60.7/42.2

Second (Head/Shoulder/Leg) (In.)

37.9/57.9/35.6

39.0/57.0/36.0

38.5/58.4/38.4

39.1/59.5/37

The rear space is where the Merc and the Range Rover take it away from the rest of the competition. If you are the chauffeur driven kind, these SUVs would ferry you around in extreme comfort.

Infotainment

A 10.2-inch touchscreen with iDrive 5.0 UI is standard on the X6 M. The system takes user inputs accurately and swiftly.The rotary knob can be used to jump through the features which effectively minimizes the distraction.

AUX Input

Bluetooth Audio/Phone

Navigation

Real-time Traffic/Weather

USB connectivity

Voice command

Apple CarPlay (Optional)

Even with the huge list of connectivity, Android Auto is still missing. The overall experience is what one would call, above satisfactory.

Cargo Capacity

The X6 M sports a compromised cargo capacity of 26.6 ft.cube due to its low roofline and coupe-like styling. The raised height of the vehicle also plays a role in hardening the task of loading luggage in the boot.

Model

BMW X6 M

Porsche Cayenne Turbo S

Mercedes-Benz AMG GLE S 63

Land Rover Range Rover Sport

Cargo Volume with 2ndrow up (ft.3)

26.6

23.7

38.2

27.5

Cargo Volume with 2ndrow folded (ft.3)

59.7

60.2

80.3

62.2

The GLE S 63 is ahead by miles when compared to all the rivals. The car sports a massive 38.2 ft cube space in the trunk and even more so when the 2nd-row seats are folded down.

Exterior

8.0/10

Dimension and Weight

Weight saving was never meant to be a thing of performance SUV with most of the fast SUVs of the day, tipping the scales at around 5000 lbs. The BMW X6 M is also on the bandwagon weighing in at 5185 lbs. It also sports a ground clearance of 8.1 inches, biggest amongst the rivals. As far as the other stats are concerned, all the rivals more or less share the same figures.

Model

BMW X6 M

Porsche Cayenne Turbo S

Mercedes-Benz AMG GLE S 63

Land Rover Range Rover Sport

Curb weight (lbs.)

5185

4927

5225

5093

Length(in)

193.8

191.1

191.0

192.2

Width(in)

78.3

78.7

76.2

78.1

Height(in)

66.5

67

69.3

71

Ground clearance (in)

8.1

7.6

7.1

7.9

Wheelbase (in)

115.5

114.0

114.8

115

Track width (in) F/R

65.6/65.6

65.4/65.9

65.9/66.7

66.6/66.6

The competition is smaller than the BMW, although not by much. The Cayenne has the smallest wheelbase and is also relatively small for the segment. As a result, it boasts high maneuverability in tight situations.

Towing Capacity

The X6 M is an SUV after all and properly equipped, it can tow up to 6,000 lbs. This, however, is the lowest amongst its rivals.

Model

BMW X6 M

Porsche Cayenne Turbo S

Mercedes-Benz AMG GLE S 63

Land Rover Range Rover Sport

Maximum Towing Capacity

6,000 lbs.

7,716 lbs.

7,200 lbs.

6,613 lbs.

The Cayenne Turbo S leads the pack at a tow rating of 7,716 lbs while being closely followed by the GLE S63 and Range Rover Sport at 7,200 lbs and 6,613 lbs respectively.

Safety

BMW X6 M offers hosts of safety features to protect you and your vehicle, on the road and off it. Some of the coolest features by far is the BMW remote services which include stolen vehicle recovery and BMW remote app.

Competition

BMW X6 M Vs Porsche Cayenne Turbo S

The Cayenne Turbo S was the actual SUV that kick-started the controversial performance SUV segment. The engine on both the SUVs is very powerful indeed. The interior is where the game changes as the Cayenne offers much better ergonomics and room for the passenger while the quality of the materials used remains almost the same.

The Cayenne not only looks like a conventional SUV but behaves like one too. The off-road performance is better as well. However, the X6 M creates a category of itself. The mad power coupled with the bizarre styling truly makes for a unique product. Not to mention, the X6 M is more than $50,000 cheaper than the Cayenne Turbo S.

BMW X6 M Vs Mercedes Benz AMG GLE S 63

The GLE S 63 shares the same story as the BMW X6 M. They are both hunchback coupe style SUVs that have been handed over to the respective performance divisions, in this case, AMG. If parked side by side, you’d realize there’s not much difference between the two variants of these cars.

The driving dynamics and comfort balance is albeit a little better on the Merc but both of them sacrifice a lot in the name of the coupe-like styling. The choice between the two boils to what badge the customer want to associate with as both these cars are almost identical.

BMW X6 M Vs Land Rover Range Rover Sport

The Range Rover Sports is the odd one out here as it is the only non-German car on the list. The Range Rover has forever been the definition of a fast-moving SUV. This, however, means nothing to the BMW as it too sports a big bad V8 with even better stats on paper. The bimmer, due to its coupe-like design rides marginally better than the boxy Range Rover.

However, the road visibility is much better on the Range Rover. All in all, if you are in the market for a coupe-like SUV, the BMW should be your choice. If you require anything even close to the utility on your performance SUV, the Range Rover Sport should be your pick.

Final Verdict

The 2018 BMW X6 M is mighty quick but it was never meant to go anywhere near a race track. As an SUV It was meant to rule the off-road trails and be a king of all the unseen rough roads. The Beemer, however, has spawned a league of its own. One can never deny that this is a niche category already and the X6 M caters to an even fewer selected people. The styling and road presence of this car is unparalleled. Even the speed quotient is definitely there. But, a true definition and need for this car are yet to be found.